strike

RipeBanana · Post by **RipeBanana** » Dec 20th, '05, 11:21

SkiDork wrote:what constitutes a yes vote? 51%?

50%+1 I'd imagine.

Cityskier · Post by **Cityskier** » Dec 20th, '05, 11:22

SkiDork wrote:what constitutes a yes vote? 51%?

TWU Votes to Authorize Strike

Dec 11, 2005 2:43 am US/Eastern
NEW YORK (AP) New York City transit workers voted Saturday to authorize a strike that could shut down bus and subway service at the height of the holiday shopping season.

Thousands of members of Transport Workers Local 100 voted unanimously to authorize their leaders to call a walkout if the union and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority can't agree on a new contract by midnight Thursday, when the current contract expires.

MTA officials said they were optimistic an agreement would be reached.

State law prohibits strikes by public employees, and union workers would face huge fines if they walked off the job. The last strike by city transit workers was in April 1980, when they halted mass transit for 11 days.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who often rides the subway to City Hall, said Friday that he hopes the strike talk is just a negotiating technique. He said a mass transit shutdown would be devastating to the city's economy, particularly at this time of year.

The system shuttles more than 7 million riders throughout the city on an average day.

The MTA last week offered a two-year proposal that would give workers a 3 percent raise in the first year and a conditional raise of 2 percent the second year, but the union rejected it.

Union officials are publicly calling for 8 percent wage increases each year for three years. President Roger Toussaint said Saturday that the 38,000-member union, which has had three-year contracts in the past, wouldn't accept a two-year pact.

"Why would they want to put New Yorkers through this every two years?" he asked.

Toussaint also accused the MTA of ignoring safety concerns raised by the union.

MTA spokesman Tom Kelly said in a statement that the union had authorized the strike before making a counteroffer to the MTA's proposal.

Wayne Friedman, a train operator who took part in Saturday's vote, said a strike was a real possibility.

"In my opinion, the union is absolutely serious about striking this time," he said. "If they negotiate fairly, we won't have that problem."

Post by **SkiDork** » Dec 20th, '05, 11:26

Well, I guess the voted for it.

No doubt, though, behind the scenes they were prolly pressured into making a "unanimous" vote so it would look like they had a strong united front. Plus who knows what they were "told" by union leaders about the likelyhood of a strike, etc...

Still, they did vote yes...

snowsprite · Post by **snowsprite** » Dec 20th, '05, 11:46

D'oh! Even Santa is screwed!

SkiPutt · Post by **SkiPutt** » Dec 20th, '05, 11:59

SkiDork wrote:I got in fine this morning.

LIRR was packed starting at Jamaica. Sardines.

Train stopped at Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside. Platforms were packed. Doors opened. Nobody could get on. Doors closed.

I took the PATH from 33rd to WTC. They're running express service direct. No problem. Actually quite mellow, I got a seat.

So far so good.

I didn't have any trouble either this morning. Took NJT [only person in a 3 seater] from Princeton Jct to Newark, got the PATH to WTC and got in at 7:20. The walk over to Wall St was quite invigorating though. I was wishing I had on my ski clothes :)

Post by **SkiDork** » Dec 20th, '05, 12:01

SkiPutt wrote:
SkiDork wrote:I got in fine this morning.

LIRR was packed starting at Jamaica. Sardines.

Train stopped at Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside. Platforms were packed. Doors opened. Nobody could get on. Doors closed.

I took the PATH from 33rd to WTC. They're running express service direct. No problem. Actually quite mellow, I got a seat.

So far so good.
I didn't have any trouble either this morning. Took NJT [only person in a 3 seater] from Princeton Jct to Newark, got the PATH to WTC and got in at 7:20. The walk over to Wall St was quite invigorating though. I was wishing I had on my ski clothes :)

Where on Wall are you?

SkiPutt · Post by **SkiPutt** » Dec 20th, '05, 12:08

SkiDork wrote:
SkiPutt wrote:
SkiDork wrote:I got in fine this morning.

LIRR was packed starting at Jamaica. Sardines.

Train stopped at Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside. Platforms were packed. Doors opened. Nobody could get on. Doors closed.

I took the PATH from 33rd to WTC. They're running express service direct. No problem. Actually quite mellow, I got a seat.

So far so good.
I didn't have any trouble either this morning. Took NJT [only person in a 3 seater] from Princeton Jct to Newark, got the PATH to WTC and got in at 7:20. The walk over to Wall St was quite invigorating though. I was wishing I had on my ski clothes :)
Where on Wall are you?

I am at 72 Wall [AIG] directly across from the BMW showroom, about 2 blocks up from Water Street.
I

Post by **SkiDork** » Dec 20th, '05, 12:10

SkiPutt wrote:
SkiDork wrote:
SkiPutt wrote:
SkiDork wrote:I got in fine this morning.

LIRR was packed starting at Jamaica. Sardines.

Train stopped at Kew Gardens, Forest Hills and Woodside. Platforms were packed. Doors opened. Nobody could get on. Doors closed.

I took the PATH from 33rd to WTC. They're running express service direct. No problem. Actually quite mellow, I got a seat.

So far so good.
I didn't have any trouble either this morning. Took NJT [only person in a 3 seater] from Princeton Jct to Newark, got the PATH to WTC and got in at 7:20. The walk over to Wall St was quite invigorating though. I was wishing I had on my ski clothes :)
Where on Wall are you?
I am at 72 Wall [AIG] directly across from the BMW showroom, about 2 blocks up from Water Street.
I

yup - I pass you every day now...

Skibumtress · Post by **Skibumtress** » Dec 20th, '05, 12:15

I sure picked a swell time to switch jobs. My commute is only 20 minutes now and I go no where near a bus or the E train.

But I am sorry for the folks who have to deal with this.

Post by **SkiDork** » Dec 20th, '05, 12:19

Skibumtress wrote:I sure picked a swell time to switch jobs. My commute is only 20 minutes now and I go no where near a bus or the E train.
But I am sorry for the folks who have to deal with this.

hows the new job so far?

tyrolean_skier · Post by **tyrolean_skier** » Dec 20th, '05, 12:20

SkiDork wrote:
Skibumtress wrote:I sure picked a swell time to switch jobs. My commute is only 20 minutes now and I go no where near a bus or the E train.
But I am sorry for the folks who have to deal with this.
hows the new job so far?

Must be OK if she is posting at this hour.

RipeBanana · Post by **RipeBanana** » Dec 20th, '05, 12:29

Need to play this for the transit workers:

http://www.historychannel.com/broadband ... sp?id=0429

Skibumtress · Post by **Skibumtress** » Dec 20th, '05, 12:37

tyrolean_skier wrote:
SkiDork wrote:
Skibumtress wrote:I sure picked a swell time to switch jobs. My commute is only 20 minutes now and I go no where near a bus or the E train.
But I am sorry for the folks who have to deal with this.
hows the new job so far?
Must be OK if she is posting at this hour.

Actually, I'm eating lunch at my desk.
It's pretty good so far. Lot's of orientation stuff yesterday all morning. Now it's waiting on people to train me on certain things. People do seem nice tho.

It is still weird tho.... not going to the old job and seeing those people.

KBL Ed · Post by **KBL Ed** » Dec 20th, '05, 12:58

snowsprite wrote:
St. Jerry wrote:http://www.twusucks.org
That is great!!

Sprite

Really????? I wanted my 90 seconds back after reading it. And, I hope no strikers actually read that. I agree with most people on this board, that what they are asking for is ridiculous. But, if any of them read that, that will only encourage them to dig in more. Not going to convince them to change with that type of screed.

Post by **SkiDork** » Dec 20th, '05, 13:33

here's something funny:

The LIRR is setting up special ticket booths for all the extra people who will be on the trains. C'mon now - buy your tickets in advance so you don't have any problems....

Funny thing is, the trains are SO PACKED that they can't even send a conductor through to collect the tickets. So these folks are buying tickets for nothing...